NATO unveils lightning‑fast Kaliningrad neutralization plan should Russia attack
Gen. Christopher Donahue, Commander of the US Army in Europe and Africa and Commander of NATO's Land Forces (Getty Images)
NATO allies have developed a plan to neutralize the Kaliningrad region. Modern weaponry will allow it to be done faster than ever before, said General Christopher Donahue, Commander of the US Army in Europe and Africa and Commander of NATO's Land Forces, as reported by Defense News.
According to Donahue, the United States and its NATO allies are launching the implementation of the "Eastern Flank Deterrence Line" plan. It is aimed at strengthening ground-based capabilities and enhancing interoperability across the alliance's defense industries.
The plan is designed to counter threats from Russia and ensure scalable, global deterrence.
"We know what we have to develop and the use case that we're using is you have to [deter] from the ground. The land domain is not becoming less important, it's becoming more important. You can now take down [anti-access, aerial-denial] A2AD bubbles from the ground. You can now take over sea from the ground. All of those things we are watching happen in Ukraine," the general clarified.
Neutralization of the Kaliningrad region
Donahue cited Russia's Kaliningrad region as an example, noting that it is surrounded on all sides by NATO countries. According to him, NATO forces now have the capability to "take that down from the ground in a timeframe that is unheard of and faster than we've ever been able to do."
"We've already planned that and we've already developed it," he said. "The mass and momentum problem that Russia poses to us … we've developed the capability to make sure that we can stop that mass and momentum problem."
What else NATO's plan includes
The plan also includes a data-sharing system. NATO has already acquired such a system, Donahue noted, referring to Palantir's Maven Smart System — an artificial intelligence platform capable of processing massive amounts of data to help military commanders make fast, informed decisions.
The general also added that NATO wants all systems — whether air defense or long-range fires — to be optionally manned.
"We want it to be one system, optionally manned, where we'll be able to take munitions from any country and shoot through them," he said.
Additionally, NATO's army aims to lower the cost of weapons.
"As a general rule, whatever you're shooting at, whatever your weapon system or munition you shoot at, another adversary's capability, it should be cheaper than what you're shooting," Donahue emphasized.
Threat of Russian attack on NATO
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte previously warned that Russia could be ready to launch an attack on the North Atlantic Alliance within the next five years.
Rutte emphasized that Russia's weapons production is progressing at a faster pace than Western countries had anticipated.
